1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention is directed to a remotely controlled, multi-directional, positioning system, and more particularly, to a multi-directional positioning system that includes a device that can be controllably positioned with a remote pressure control system.
2. Discussion Of The Related Art
In a wide variety of technological disciplines, a positioning device is used to position the working end of an instrument at a location that would be otherwise inaccessible to the instrument. For example, in the medical field, a cannula can be inserted into a body of a patient to guide the working end (e.g., the distal end) of a surgical instrument, such as a retractor, a catheter, an endoscope or other imaging device, etc., to a particular location within the body of the patient. Typically, the cannula is a rigid structure that guides the surgical instrument in only a single direction along the longitudinal axis of the cannula. When the position of the working end of the surgical instrument needs to be moved to a new position that is not along the longitudinal axis of the cannula, the position of the cannula, and thus the position of the working end of the surgical instrument, is adjusted to orient the longitudinal axis of the cannula to point to the new position.